


Our Inner Demons

by justforfum



Series: The Heart of a Guardian [3]
Category: Elsword (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Character Death, Dialogue Heavy, Difficult Decisions, Drama, Fantasy, Friendship/Love, Gen, Original Character(s), Sander, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-07-20 12:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16136909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justforfum/pseuds/justforfum
Summary: Hamel has been liberated by Ran's demonic army. But his defeat was only the tip of an enormous iceberg. Starving for food and desperate for help, Hamel's youngest ruler turns to the distant desert far to the north for help. But is he prepared for what awaits him in the vast oceans of sand? A sequel to The Heart of a Guardian.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> If you're reading this and haven't read The Heart of a Guardian, I highly suggest you take a look at that story first. This is the sequel to the story and I guarantee those who haven't read the first part will get lost in the narration this story takes you through. A lot has happened that has changed the entire El Search Party and reading further without a clue of what's going will only make it more difficult for you as it progresses. If you have read it before then welcome to the sequel! Hopefully it can live up to your expectations!

_Dearest Chung,_

_It has been officially three weeks since we have left Hamel as of writing this letter. I am not familiar with the methods or schedule for postage being sent overseas so please forgive the rather unconventional method at which this letter reaches you._

_The return voyage to Velder was quiet for everyone on board the ship. The animosity they hold towards you is clear in all of them, including the remainder of the El Search Party. Our friends are in strong disagreeance with you. The Half-Nasod believes you were acting irrationally. The elf feels that your decision will only make life difficult for your people. Elsword's sister stated her inability to forgive you for throwing all their sacrifices away. As for Elsword himself: he seldom spoke at all. I believe he is still in mourning for the loss of our dear friend. As for your strange visitor from the future, she has clearly been taking steps in avoid communicating with any members of the El Search Party, especially towards me. I am unable to discern why. So far it is only you and I that know of her true origins and it's strange that she is trying to avoid dialogue with me considering how alienated she obviously feels riding the ship back._

_We have since separated upon arriving in Velder. I am safely back in my floating home of Altera and, thanks to the sheer amount of El shards I have accumulated during our campaign in Hamel, I have restarted the reconstruction effort of my kind from the ground up. I'll spare you the nuances of reconstructing an entire race but know that given the situation I am in, it will not be easy to say the least._

_On the topic of my situation - more specifically the state of repairs for myself - I am strangely still unable to fix my voice module that was damaged during the temple of trials. It was frustrating, to say the least, trying to communicate with the others and I ultimately resorted to projecting text to the others if my input was necessary. Hopefully, with time, I can find a way to repair my ability to speak. Otherwise, I would be quite ashamed to have to resort to using text to speak to you when we next meet._

_I hope to see you, again, soon._

_Yours,_

_Eve_

* * *

_Dearest Chung,_

_Today marks the 100th day since the campaign on Hamel has ended. How have you been? I hope my previous letter has reached you safely. I am unable to determine if it arrived, given the limited range of my communications with other Nasods. I'm sure you must have felt something similar when our neural connection was severed when I left Hamel._

_I understand that building a nation with little more than a handful of your people can be quite difficult, especially for a human. The efforts on my end are starting to take show signs of progress. Most of the first few weeks have been spent piecing together what I could of my foundries by hand. Thankfully, Moby and Remy are here to help handle the heavier tasks. Afterwards I've dug out the rubble to one segment of my factory and, after some effort, managed to successfully create a backbone drone network to help with the clean up and revival effort._

_I have kept little contact with the El Search Party since our departure, but on day 95 of my stay in Altera, I was approached by Elsword's sister who was on her way to the Elven Kingdom. With most of Lurensia purged of the demon threat, she spoke of the El Search Party's possibility of moving our services overseas and invited me to go should such a plan become a reality. With the rising tensions between Sanders and the native Coluso tribes people, more work opportunities would be present for us. I declined, however, for multiple reasons. With the workload I have with my nation's revival, I wished to focus more on my personal goals for the time being._

_That's not to say my progress hasn't had any setbacks, however. I am still unable to repair my voice module. In fact, any damage I sustain during the revival effort takes significantly longer to repair than before. I will not bore you with the details in coding, but in summary, I must constantly create workarounds for repair protocols that, for some reason, refuse to work. Not only does this affect my ability to function at optimal levels, but it seems to have an adverse effect on my ability to command fleets of drones, as well. I have never had a problem being able to macro manage thousands of drones at a time but at my state my neural network is struggling to maintain a few dozen. I will have to look into this soon._

_And finally - and most concerning of all - I have sensed something, a glitch perhaps, within the deepest reaches of my personal code. It was calling to me. I have not noticed it during the start of my revival program when my workload was most strenuous, but with more time to myself, I have grown faintly aware of this strange sensation in my systems. It is not magical in nature but, rather, mechanical; like static. It could be a fault in my damaged programs but I am unable to come to a clear conclusion as of yet. The thought that it was perhaps you calling for me through my nanomachines was amusing, but, given our distance, I knew that to be an impossibility._

_Regardless, I still long to see you, again._

_Yours,_

_Eve_

* * *

_Dearest Chung,_

_It has been 200 days since we've parted. I have yet to receive a reply back from you. I am beginning to question whether or not these letters are reaching Hamel and wondering if I should, instead, use Velder's postal system as Elsword's sister had suggested a few months ago. If you are getting my letters please do your best to reply. I just want to know how you're doing._

_Progress in my nations revival is… sluggish to say the least. I have fallen so far behind on my projected milestone schedule that I have long since abandoned it. It is my coding that's holding me back. But any attempts to repair my personal code has proven to be a waste of time and I am forced to continue the project at a drastically slower pace. I have established a basic worker drone assembly line at least. That is correct, many drones similar to Moby and Remy are slowly being constructed daily. With each passing day, the efficiency of our cleanup effort rises. It will only be a matter of time before I can begin construction on standard Nasod civilians enmasse._

_I was visited by another member of the El Search Party, today. The mercenary had come to Altera, this time, expressing how they needed my participation in their move overseas. I asked why I was needed and apparently the elf had fallen out of contact with the group. The mercenary said that, after some time to think on things, the elf believed you were in the right and that she would have no part in helping the Velderian Empire expand its reach by using the El Search Party._

_I wanted to help them. I could feel the frustration and sense of loss from the Blade Master. With the elf no longer part of our group, that would mean only three of the remaining members would be left: Elsword, Raven, and Elesis. But, given my condition, I did not wish to burden them with my presence._

_As you may have guessed… I'm still unable to repair myself, fully. My ability to communicate is strictly limited to text on hologram and doing so would be inefficient in combat situations should that be required if I go with them. With my slower repair speed, I can no longer reliably be there ready to deploy as often as usual. And furthermore, the presence I've mentioned buried within my personal code still lingers._

_The entity is still faint but it is definitely stronger than before. It is beckoning me to go to it. I don't know where this entity is when it makes such a suggestion but it continues as if it expects me to know the answer. It knows what I'm experiencing. It does not speak but it reassures me that it can fix me. I don't trust it. The only thing I can do is ignore it. In the meantime, I will try and establish a basic Nasod civilian construction grid to keep me occupied. I don't hear the entity when I work._

_Chung, when you receive this letter, please… please write me back._

_Yours,_

_Eve_

* * *

_Chung?_

_I'm scared. 300 days after leaving Hamel and my condition has not improved. In fact, it has grown worse. Since day one, I have tried to fix my corrupted code. I've tried writing and rewriting work arounds, as inefficient as they may be, but they are simply treatments. Not a cure._

_My project has currently fallen to a standstill and I am no longer able to control the small fleet of worker drones by myself. To make things worse, the maximum units I am able to control is steadily declining. I'm trying my best to ignore this entity but the more I try, the more I realize that my options are wearing thin. I cannot ignore the obvious anymore, I need help… And there is no one on this island or this continent that knows how._

_I have searched for solutions. Word from the pongoes have directed me back across the sea; a rumor of a mechanic who can fix any machine. I have no other leads from here so I must continue my search as I go. Fortunately, I may have the means available to make this trip, though I don't know how long I'll be gone._

_Chung, if you are reading this, know that it may be awhile until I write again. I hope to see you again, soon._

_Yours,_

_Eve_

* * *

"Eve?" Raven stood over her shoulder as she added the finishing touches to her letter. She compressed the projected window into a holographic envelope and held it in front of a floating black drone fitted with shimmering silver wings. The contents of the letter dissolved into data and, with a dutiful chirp, the messenger drone flapped its mechanical wings before floating out the door of a bar named "The Cold Wash".

"The ship to Sander is loaded and about to set sail. Are you ready?"

He didn't expect a verbal answer from the Nasod, but it took her a significantly long time to answer. She wanted to say something but instead continued to stare at a strange red display that hovered in front of her. She reached out to shut the display but not before Raven was able to quietly read what the was on display: "Ex_t c C&d3 Corrupt1;n". The window was minimized just as the number ticked up to 59% and Eve turned to the mercenary with an acknowledging nod.

A bright text window appeared in front of him as a single word was mentally typed out.

"Ready."


	2. The Young King

A pair of cyan, puppy-paw eyes traced the length of the line from Nape to Tail as the salty morning breeze of the ocean ushered in the warm northern air of the inevitable summer. Their lights were beginning to fade at the waking hours of twilight, starting yet another day for the people of Hamel; another day of survival for the young king.

The celestial string: a somewhat curved line of twinkling light that began at the north star and ended at the south star. In colloquial terms they were called the Nape and the Tail, respectively. Everything else around it was just beautiful extras that complimented the line. Someone had once told him that if he were ever lost, he could rely on these stars to guide his path. Yet as he stared up at the constellations, only a sad, almost longing sense of nostalgia came to him.

The young man missed them dearly. He wished he could once again see their faces, or at least hear from them from time to time. But he knew what that meant. Relying on those people would be a sign of weakness for a king such as himself. His people were looking up to him as a leader. To show weakness would only shatter their cracked resolve.

"Just as our scouts have reported: it looks like another messenger raven—from Velder, judging from its direction of approach, my king," a rather rotund half-otter-half-man said as he peered through the spyglass. Dressed in scholarly blue robes that complimented his orange-brown fur and a tiny pair of glasses resting on his muzzle, the advisor looked as jolly as he was intelligent. Standing atop a tall wooden lookout tower amidst the outskirts of the ancient waterway, the trusted advisor kept his sights locked on to the single black speck on the approach from the horizon.

The advisor's voice was shrill and grating to its sole listener and the king trained his sights towards the general direction the otter was looking towards, squinting his eyes against the retreating night sky in an attempt to hunt down a black speck amidst a violet backdrop. It must have taken more than a keen eye to spot something so small from so far away. Still, his scouts have proven their commitment time and again to their jobs.

"Very well, Denka. Commend them for their vigilance," the young king said as he stood at the bottom of the tower, still trying his best to spot the tiny speck, "Double their rations for the day."

"You know we can't, your majesty, given the, uh, problem," Denka muttered, doing his best to remain discreet should any prying ears be within listening distance.

"I think we can manage that much for them," the king nodded, not budging on his order.

"If you say so… And what shall we do with the raven, your majesty?"

"The same thing we did to the last one. Shoot it down," the king's words were direct, commanding, this time. His tone was one the otter knew not to argue against. "If it has anything to do with the empire my people are better off without it."

"As you say, my king," his advisor mumbled, putting away the spyglass and making his way down the stairs. The king had not waited for him, however, and by the time he reached the bottom, the otter caught the sight of his king's long blonde locks disappearing just out of his sightlines past a pair of giant defensive harpoon launchers that flanked the path leading down the sheer cliff face. Seeing as his majesty had left him behind and was already halfway down the docks, the otter lifted his robe and hurried after him.

Dressed in messy, earthly colored rags that mirrored the state of his kingdom, and with a face that looked far too young to belong to a king, the young man slung a rather large cannon over his shoulder before making his way down towards the docks along the bay's massive cliff face.

"King Seiker!" he called after him, stopping the young man, "Where on Elrios are you going?"

The king turned to his advisor with a bright, almost unsettlingly confident, smile, "To address the food shortage you mentioned yesterday."

"By going down to the docks?" the otter asked in befuddled confusion, "King Seiker, I-I know you mean well but might I remind you risking your life fishing to feed your people with that  _thing_  still out there… why, that's practically suicide!"

Chung shook his head, turning as he continued down to the docks where a boat and a single oarsman waited for him.

"You said it yourself, Denka: this month's harvest hasn't been great and we can't rely on our crops alone to feed all of us."

"B-but  _fishing_?"

"We live on a bay, don't we? It's a natural source of food," King Seiker replied matter-of-factly. He boarded the tiny rowboat as the oarsman, a familiar young guardian-in-training, gave the otter a rather casual salute. He was tall, with a body well built for combat. His once shaved head had grown into a short brown fade. With skin tanned from long hours working in the sun, it greatly contrasted the white trainee Freiturnier armor he wore.

"G'morning, advisor!" the oarsman greeted with a quick bow.

"Zudrich!" Denka exclaimed, "It's good to know someone with a sense of reason is available. Would you kindly convince our king to cease this madness and keep his feet on dry land?"

"Actually," the trainee rubbed his neck, "I'm under his orders to come along with him."

"Are you both insane?!"

"No," the guardian-in-training replied, "I'm very much aware of how incredibly reckless his plan is. But I'm here to protect him more than anything else."

"And the other trainees?"

"I… haven't gotten around to telling them, yet."

Chung laughed, "Zuzu just wants the glory to himself."

"Your majesty, with all due respect, you  _told_  me not to tell anyone else. I came alone, as ordered."

"You'll make a fine paladin one day, Zuzu."

"Provided we survive," Zuzu muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Survive  _what_?!" Denka cried in a panic, now, as the guardian-in-training pushed the boat off the dock.

"I told you, already," Chung replied, pulling on the necklace from under his shirt. A guardian stone was pulled into view. Beautifully embroidered in gold in the shape of the paladin's crest, the stone radiated a luminescent blue much brighter than the old one he lost during the temple of trials, "I'm going to address the food shortage."

"I—He—Is that your father's stone?!"

Using the stone to channel his El, a tingling sensation swept over the king's body. Magical energies were siphoned into the stone before being directed towards the weapon in his hands. Chung pulled the reload lever of his cannon, listening to the satisfying 'thunk' of fresh rounds filling the chamber.

"Almost forgot what that felt like," Chung commented before hefting the cannon back onto his shoulder and waving at Denka, "Guardian stones are hard to come by nowadays. I'm only borrowing it, anyways. I'm certain my father would have wanted me to use it in his place. Don't worry, I'll return it in one piece!"

"I'd rather  _you_  return in one piece! Get back here this instant!" Denka shouted as the distance between the two grew, "I mean it! Now!"

Seeing as the boat was doing anything but turning around, the otter hurried back up the stairs, muttering loudly under his breath. Chung assumed it was to call the other trainees.

"Be sure to tell the scouts that I commend them!" Chung called after the otter. He sighed, sinking onto his seat as he watched the otter's short legs hobble up the stairway. "You try to fix a problem and people get mad at you. Such is the life of a leader."

"Advisor Denka has every right to be angry, my king," Zudrich whispered as he continued rowing.

Chung sighed, seriousness finding its way through the cracks of his smile. He carefully took a seat at the boat's center to avoid capsizing the two of them. "Yeah, well, this is for the survival of our kingdom, Zuzu. We won't have enough food to feed everyone until the next harvest, so drastic measures are going to have to be taken."

He could see the trainee nod from the corner of his eye in agreement as they both silently floated their way across the kingdom of Senace's bay.

"I could've handled this alone, if you asked, my king."

"You could die by yourself if I had. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something were to happen to you in my stead."

"Likewise for me, to you, my king. Hence why I willingly chose to follow you."

"Because if neither of us are allowed to die, might as well have both of us, right?" Chung muttered sarcastically as he turned his attention to the distant sunken city closing in the distance. They continued on in silence once more. The air growing thick with tension as the young king sensed the trainee to be gauging his resolve.

"We don't have to do this, King Seiker. There are other options, you kn—"

"I can't," Chung interjected, hastily, "I won't. Not after what they did to us."

"But, my king, without outside help, our people—"

"I will not rely on an empire willing to kill us just to exploit our stone's power. This discussion is over, Zudrich. We are not going to bend to Velder's wishes."

Chung waited for the trainee to speak as the silence that remained bore heavy on the king's shoulders. Ever since that day—ever since he banished Velder troops from his kingdom, he swore to never open his borders to them for as long as he ruled over Hamel. The past few months may have been difficult rebuilding a kingdom from the ground up, but he saw the resolve in his people, he felt the fires of their loyalty to the crown burning brighter than it ever did, even for his father. He knew they could harness that energy to give every day their all into rebuilding their home. But was energy and enthusiasm enough for a country that had next to nothing?

Amidst the energy of his people's unquestioning loyalty, Chung sensed the shadows of dissonance lurking among them. With the recent food shortage still kept under wraps, it was only a matter of time before the already starving populace must cut their daily rations even more. He knew what an empty stomach could do to an army. Chung feared what it would do to a city of refugees.

Finally. Zudrich spoke.

"As you say, my king. I'll follow you to the grave if I must."

It was a phrase Zuzu repeated again and again throughout these trying times. Those words were either comforting or exhausting depending on the context he recited them in. In this case, it was the latter.

The boat continued to coast over the dark blue waves of the bay. With the demons no longer controlling the El Stone, the purification efforts led by Sasha and her acolytes-in-training were starting to have visible effect on the surrounding waters. Although his advisor suggested they focus their efforts on using the blessed waters to secure a meaningful food source for their farms, the king had a more ambitious vision of clearing the taint from the bay. As much sense as it made at the time to begin planning for the future, the month's crop failure was a disaster the king was hoping wouldn't happen.

Zuzu gently directed the boat around one of the surviving support columns of the great eastern bridge that once connected the city of Resiam to Senace's waterway. Much of the city that once stood as Senace's pearl in the ocean, had long been lost under the dark waters of the bay. Nothing had been done to restore the city, nor did Chung think it would ever be possible in his lifetime. The towering high rise buildings leaned against one another in the brink of collapsing, the once busy streets had disappeared underneath the tides, and even the Velder encampment - hastily left behind after they were banished from Hamel - were only visible through the red canvas tops floating just above the water's surface.

Resiam was slowly sinking and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"This should be the place," Zuzu whispered, bringing the boat to a stop at particular clearing amidst a forest of old skyscrapers.

"You sure this is it?" Chung asked, standing as his eyes scanned the blue waters that glittered in the sun.

"It was where the scouts spotted the beast multiple times, my king," Zuzu reported.

"You got the bait, then?"

The trainee extracted a bag from underneath his seat, unleashing a storm of flies as he opened the bag. He pulled out a netted bundle of rotting fish tied to a rope, covering his nose in the process while holding it in front of his king.

"The entire week's harvest,"

"Better than usual, huh?" Chung joked as he fanned his hand at the stench. Zuzu didn't laugh. The king cleared his throat, "That'll change once we get rid of the beast."

"Hopefully."

"Toss it in."

Zuzu did so, throwing the bundle over the portside of their little boat. And then they waited.

Chung scanned the surface for any movement, shifting anxiously in his seat as the two sat there in silence. For the first few minutes he was on high alert, head turning to even the slightest sound of water gently lapping against the boat's side. Frankly he wasn't sure if this plan was going to work in the first place, but given their situation, he couldn't sit around idly while his people starved. This may not be the best solution but it was the most immediate.

The minutes rolled by with nothing but the calm blue waters underneath them. Nothing was happening. By then, Chung only scanned the waters just so he wouldn't have to look at the trainee who was very much observing his king at this point. He didn't want to talk to him.

"King Seiker," Zuzu said after a while, his words causing the king to bite his own tongue in anticipation.

"Yes, Zuzu?"

"About what we were talking about earlier—"

Chung sighed, closing his eyes. "No."

"It doesn't have to be Velder, you know."

"Then who?"

"Sander, maybe?"

Chung shook his head, "They're a greedy nation, Zuzu. I've considered that option time and again, but we don't have the coin nor do we have the means to even establish a form of trade with them. What can we give them that they don't already have?"

"Fish?"

The king chuckled, "Once we down this beast, maybe. But even still, that's not enough for what we would ask of them."

The trainee nodded, leaving the conversation at that. Normally Chung would have appreciated the silence, though the trainee's eyes told the king that he had something else in mind.

"Any other ideas?" Chung asked, nearly regretting his decision to coax it out of the young man.

"Uh, maybe?" Zuzu chuckled half-dismissively, "I know I'm stepping out of line for even suggesting this but, you know, since they're in a desert and all—"

"You've stepped out of line since you brought this conversation up in the first place. Do you think I care about hierarchy when we're floating alone out here in the middle of dangerous waters? Speak to me as your equal; as if I were a squire as well."

"My king, you know I can't do that."

"You can. Try me, Zuzu. When formalities are dropped, I'd like to think of myself as easy to approach. At least that's how it was before I left the El Search Party."

Zudrich drummed his fingers on his seat as he rolled his head around the idea, his shoulders visibly slacking as he relaxed. "If you insist, King Seiker. What I was trying to say is we could  _offer_  Sander our Water Stone services."

The trainee had his attention, now. Since as long as he could remember, Hamel's water magic had been exclusively theirs. If others wanted state-of-the-art healing magic, or the purest water for the most volatile or reactive alchemical applications, Hamel was the only place to get it. During its peak, travelers from all over the world would flock to the secluded peninsula just for their water. And now Zuzu was suggesting they export it? At the condition they were in?

"Everything from shards to healing waters. Maybe even open the borders to them and allow people to visit us? This would open up work opportunities especially with the rebuilding process."

"So you want to give another greedy nation the chance to exploit our El Stone like Velder did?"

"Well—When broken down to its basic form of reasoning… yes?"

Chung's eyes narrowed at the suggestion and the trainee rubbed his neck as he tried to explain himself.

"Sander isn't resorting to opening a demon gate just to gain control of our stone. My king, with all due respect, our people are suffering. We don't have the means to stand on our own. Who knows how long it'd be when Velder decides to come right back and take over Senace? Velder isn't aware of it, yet, but if they so much as sail at us with a small fleet of ships, we can't do anything about it. Those two harpoon guns mounted alongside the waterway's walls? That's all we have. Given how long it takes to even produce one guardian stone, I doubt we'd have a cannon ready if they do decide to pay us a visit. Even then it won't be close to enough. But with Sander aiding us in reconstruction, we can focus on preventing that from happening. Don't you agree?"

The king leaned forward, resting his chin on his knuckles as he considered the trainee's proposition. He had never liked Sander for their profit-driven, egocentric ideals, but with how things were going in his kingdom, did he really have a choice?

"You may be onto something, Zuzu," the king relented, garnering a smile from the trainee.

"I'm glad you are seeing things our way, my king."

Chung blinked. "Our way?"

"Ah, yes. 'Our' as in the high priestess and the advisor."

His majesty sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, "I thought you were being uncharacteristically brilliant. So Sasha and Denka put you up to this?"

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"No! I didn't mean that," Chung defended, "I just didn't expect such a specific answer from you."

"You may have my loyalty, King Seiker, but that doesn't mean I can't think for myself. I saw legitimate reason in their suggestion and it is my choice to pass the idea on to you. Now whether or not you listen is beyond my control, know that I won't be afraid to speak my mind if I see fit."

Chung relented in a long, drawn out sigh, "Fine. You know I was beginning to lose sleep over everything, anyways. Better to have someone tell me in private than have an entire kingdom's worth of people doing it at my doorstep."

A smile appeared on the trainee's lips, "So we're in agreeance, then?"

"Yeah. We'll ask Sander for help."

"When will you send an emissary?"

"Better now than later, I suppose. I'll even go, myself."

"Yourself, my king?"

"When I was little I never understood why my father was often absent from the castle, even when my mother's health was declining. Now that I'm older I think I understand why he always visited other kingdoms in person rather than send someone else in his stead. I think it was because it was easier to speak for yourself rather than have another speak for you. A lot of the other nations respected him for that and I wanted to mirror that sentiment. Besides, what better way to meet other nation's leaders than in person, right?"

"But, the trip through the mountains is perilous," Zuzu reasoned, "Let's not forget the expansive desert that you could easily lose your way in."

"If it bothers you that much then you can come with me."

"Me, sire?"

"If neither of us are allowed to die, it might as well be both of us," Chung joked. Again Zuzu didn't laugh.

"Lighten up, Zuzu. You've talked me out of doing something stupid into something potentially more stupid."

"Right," the trainee grumbled, rolling his eyes, "Speaking of supposedly terrible ideas, what made you want to resort to doing  _this_  anyways? I mean, baiting and hunting Big Blue? I've never heard of a king so willing to die for the sake of their people."

A sad smile crossed the king's lips, "You can say it's an inherited sense of courage."

"Courage or stupidity?"

"Both, I guess. But it's just something I learned out in the field throughout the years. Sometimes you have to do something completely stupid to fix things. And sometimes they just really work to your favor."

"The El Search Party, I'm guessing?"

Chung didn't answer. But a sense of longing and loneliness was written all over his face.

"You never told us about your exploits as part of the famed adventurers. I'm sure the others would be inspired with your stories."

"Some things are just better left forgotten, Zuzu. That part of my life is over. Our paths diverged after Hamel. And if they're going to support a nation that would go through such horrible lengths to gain power, then I want no part in it."

Chung stared at his hands in silence. The battle-worn calluses in his palms were beginning to fade from the months since he last wielded his destroyer. He had made a promise to never use the weapon again, yet here he was waiting for a giant eel to come take the bait. It wasn't too late to put the weapon away, though. As Zudrich had presented, there were other solutions available.

The king stood, setting the cannon aside and reaching for the rope. "Well, I think we should get going then, huh? Clearly Big Blue isn't coming so we might as well pack up and leave before—"

Chung pulled on the rope but only found himself pulling the entire boat towards the bait.

The two of them looked at each other before Zuzu took over for his king, yanking the rope hard enough to nearly capsize their little rowboat.

"It must be caught on something," the trainee grunted as he rose from his seat and gave the rope a series of tugs.

The entire time, the king hung on to the other side of the boat, helping to balance the weight as he became acutely aware of the unusually blue shimmer of the waters beneath him.

The sun hadn't even risen past the mountains yet.

"Zuzu. Let it go."

"I almost got it, Chung, don't worry," the trainee grumbled as he pulled the rope again and again.

The water shimmered once more and, to the king's horror, the blue pools underneath opened, revealing a deep red and black eye, shadowed by the boat that floated over it.

"Zuzu. Let. It. Go. Now."

In the far distance, Chung saw the small ripple of waves as the giant eel's tail whipped into motion.

"I can't. I borrowed this rope from the owner of the fishery and I told him I'd return it once—"

The rope pulled back, causing the trainee to lose his grip and fall back on the boat. The rest of the rolled line rapidly unraveled itself as the entire body of water seemed to flow as one entity towards the distant cliff walls.

A knot formed, catching the trainee by the leg just as the last of the rope disappeared into the water. In that split second, both of them leapt for the knot in an attempt to free the young man but before they even had the chance, Zuzu was quickly pulled overboard.

Chung was sent rolling back as the entire boat lurched forward at a near breakneck burst of speed. Salt water came crashing over the king as he tried to keep himself from being swept away. It didn't take long to find out that the guardian-in-training was clinging on to the railings for dear life as the giant beast under the water pulled the two of them out into open waters.

"Cut yourself free!" the king ordered through the torrent of seaspray.

"With what?!" Zuzu gurgled as the beast swerved violently to the left, back towards the bay's cliff face, causing the trainee to lose his grip with one hand.

Chung leapt to the front of the boat, catching Zuzu's free hand before rooting himself onto his seat in an attempt to pull him back onboard.

Upon reaching open water, the boat slowed briefly but not before the rope began to pull the trainee downward. The beast was diving.

Chung's grip tightened around the man's arm as the both of them hoped that he could just pull his friend out of the bindings.

His hand began to slip, however, and no matter how hard he tried to maintain his hold, the king could do nothing but watch in horror as Zudrich disappeared into the dark depths.

"Zuzu!" Chung cried as he quickly rose to his feet in a panic. He could dive in after him but not with his cannon. What good was he in water against such a beast without his cannon? The other option was to shoot blindly into the water, but he had no way to tell if he was in danger of hitting Zudrich or if he struck the beast. As far as he could tell, though, it was a far better solution than waiting for the beast to just give his friend back.

Balancing himself on the boats edge, he pointed the barrel of his cannon down into the dark depths, searching for any signs of movement to draw a bead on. There was nothing but the black waters below and with every second he spent waiting was another Zudrich spent drowning. He fired, sending a high velocity cannonball into the water's depths. It connected with the seafloor, exploding in a faint flash of blue. In that brief flash of light, the young king swore he saw just a piece of the hauntingly large silhouette of a demonically mutated coral serpent far below.

He fired again, drawing a bead on the previous image's location and he saw the monstrous eel's shimmering scales as its entire form snaked its way around the boat.

He sent another two rounds downward, the last hitting its intended target as a low, ghastly groan seemed to rise from the waters around him.

Chung rolled back on the boat, pouring his El into the guardian stone as he tried to load a full clip into his cannon.

The boat shuddered and nearly capsized as the beast suddenly burst out of the water in a giant pillar of white seaspray. The tiny boat careened backwards as Chung dared not fall off and lose his only weapon. The rowboat came to a stop and the king found himself staring up at monstrous, blue-scaled beast that towered several stories above him. It had a face larger than a galleon and a maw that could easily swallow smaller ships. Its jagged rows of teeth seemed to grin at the tiny morsel before it as its giant red eyes fixated on the king.

"Hey, Big Blue," Chung said, his voice shaking as he reached for his weapon, "Remember me?"

The beast reared its head, letting out a piercing howl that caused the cliff face behind it to crack under the sheer volume of its call.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Chung replied, rising to his feet as his ears continued to ring.

He trained the barrel of the cannon at the monster's head and was nearly about to fire when he noticed a small figure dangling by a rope hanging out of Big Blue's mouth. Zudrich flailed about wildly as he hung helplessly right under the beast's chin. He was alive! And he looked to be doing his best to free himself from the knot. The giant eel seemed completely unaware of his presence at all. The way Zudrich swung right under the beast's head made it nearly impossible for Chung to take the shot without putting the trainee in danger. Yet as Zudrich attempted to free himself, Chung could barely manage to make out a tiny thumbs-up from the guardian-in-training. It was as if he was telling him to go ahead and shoot.

Like hell he'd do that.

If he could just buy enough time for him to—

The king was sent airborne as the eel's tail violently came crashing down on the boat, creating another powerful column of sea spray that carried anything caught in it skyhigh. With nothing but the wind to guide Chung's flight he quickly found himself staring down a giant maw, waiting eagerly to swallow him whole. All the while he spotted the trainee finally freeing his leg and plummeting to the waters below.

Thinking quickly, the king rolled to bring his cannon to bear. Sending a shot downward that struck the beast on its nose and giving enough recoil to just barely alter Chung's trajectory to fall past his waiting mouth rather than in it.

The cannonball punched through the beast's thick scales, leaving a deep gruesome hole where its nose and most of its upper left jaw used to be.

It shrieked as Chung landed along the gentle slope of the eel's body and he continued to roll wildly towards the water. He fired his cannon again, away this time, using the recoil of the blast to bury the bladed edge of the weapon into Big Blue's sides. His descent slowed to a stop but not before creating a deep gash along the side of the beast.

It writhed its body, training its eyes down to the little thorn on its side and opened its jaws to strike at the king who could do nothing but hang there helplessly.

"Fire!" a shrill, grating voice ordered from along the cliff's edge.

In that moment, a harpoon was viciously driven into the beast's gills, causing it to turn at the new threat.

"Fire!" the order was given again and a second harpoon found its mark under the beast's chin, punching straight through the roof of its mouth and embedding itself deep in its skull.

It tried to pull away, but the thick chains anchored into two gigantic winches held strong against the struggling monstrosity.

"Get on the crank! All together now!" Denka ordered as all thirty-nine of the other guardians-in-training manned the large gear that began to reel Big Blue in. The entire cliff face shuddered under the strain as the eel fought against the combined strength of nearly forty Hamelians.

The entire time, the beast shrieked. The wails were earsplitting for Chung as the body writhed against the water.

The beast's body angled over the cliff's edge, giving Chung enough footing to hang on before it was angled enough for the king to carefully climb up along.

"Hold!" Denka's voice was heard over the cliff edge as the body came to a stop. Chung carefully continued his trek along the eel's body, doing his best to keep his balance as the beast's large body slowly lurched under him.

He cleared the gills, receiving a rather unpleasant spray of blood and sea water as he passed, before cresting over the cliff's edge and standing just over Big Blue's eye.

The giant orb turned to him and upon seeing the king, the eel let out another shriek, struggling in the chains with such might that the trainees holding the beast down were nearly knocked off their feet.

"Don't worry, Big Blue," Chung said, hefting his cannon and cramming the barrel into its eye, "I'd rather not waste any more time with you, either."

He pulled the trigger, causing a spray of blood, water, and eye juice to burst from the monster's head, covering everyone unfortunate enough to be helping the king. The beast tensed as it gave one last dying wail before its entire body went slack. Chung stumbled off the beast, keeping his weapon pointed at Big Blue's head, waiting for it to spring to life once more. It didn't, and after what seemed like a minute of waiting, the entire cliffside of participants gave a unified sigh of relief.

"Thanks for that, Denka," Chung exhaled, trying his best to wipe the grime from his face with his shirt but only managing to smear the pink mush over himself, "Though I doubt a single bath is going to get rid of the stench—"

"My king!" Denka's face was visibly red through the orange fur and pink eel guts.

"I—I warned you! I… Reckless!" the advisor scolded, "Absolutely reckless! It was foolish and… and thoughtless! And reckless!"

"No!" a haggard voice coughed from beyond the cliff edge. The two turned to its source just as Zuzu, soaked from head to toe and missing a few plates of his trainee armor, appeared limping up the stairs to them.

"Advisor, it was my fault," he gasped, coughing out the salt water from his lungs, "If I hadn't been tangled by the rope we would have most likely escaped largely unharmed."

"You're not hurt are you, Zuzu?" the king asked, looking him up and down.

"Bruised, my king," Zudrich replied, slumping his shoulders, "maybe a bit waterlogged and possibly with a concussion, but not that far off from our daily training regime, really."

Chung sighed, patting the young man on the shoulder, "I'm sorry I had to put you through that. It wasn't my intention to get you killed—"

"I know, my king. I know," he smiled at Chung, "If not either of us, why not both of us, right?"

The king chuckled, pulling him in for a tight hug that surprised the trainee.

Denka was beside himself in anger. "Are you two done celebrating your foolishness?! You forget that our king's  _life_  was on the line here! Why, if you died, I… I..." with the rush of the moment finally over the otter rapidly broke down into tears.

A pang of guilt hit Chung right in the chest as he immediately moved to comfort the advisor. "Denka, I'm sorry. Yes, I know what I did was stupid, but look!" he motioned at the slain beast, "An answer to our problem!"

The otter sniffled and blinked at him in confusion, removing the tiny glasses to wipe his eyes before putting them back on. All he saw was a giant dead beast.

"Erm… forgive me, your majesty, but, what exactly am I looking for, here?"

Chung cleared his throat before leaning in towards the otter, "The answer to the food shortage problem."

"W… what?"

"Guardians!" Chung shouted, causing all the trainees to stand at attention, "Gather the others! We'll want as much of this stored before the meat goes bad."

"Yes, my king!" they all answered in unison before taking off to the ancient waterway.

"Erm, not you, Zuzu. See if any of the acolytes are available to tend to your wounds, okay? Have to make sure you're ready for the upcoming trip."

"At once, my king," Zudrich saluted and limped back towards the waterway gates.

Denka's brow furrowed even more, "Trip?"

"Hope you won't get tired of eel anytime soon," Chung said, removing the guardian stone that hung around his neck and handing it over to the advisor, "If we can get everything stored in refrigeration we can be set for a month or two, don't you think?"

"King Seiker… what trip?"

"I mean, look at the size of this thing!" Chung stood over the cliff motioning at the rest of the eel that was still submerged underwater, "Maybe all this food can last us a year! Do you think it's plausible to keep food stored for that long? Though now that I think about it an entire year of eating strictly eel might do more harm than good for our diets."

"King Seiker!" Denka shouted, garnerning a knowing smile from the king.

"Yes, my trusted advisor?"

"You… mentioned a trip? Please tell me you're not doing anything reckless, again, are you?"

"Define reckless?"

Chung could see the color draining from the otter's face.

"Denka, relax. I just had a talk with Zudrich. He convinced me of doing something I thought was rather stupid to begin with."

"And that stupid idea is…?"

"A trade agreement with Sander."

The otter looked as if he was about to have a heart attack from the suggestion. It was hard to distinguish whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but given the circumstances, the prince figured it was the former.

"E-excuse me? My king, are you saying—"

"Advisor, notify the Hameling handlers and gather supplies for my trip. At first light tomorrow, I'll be going to Sander."

* * *

"Do you feel that's everything I'll need?" Chung commented as he was sure the advisor was fixing a third pack of towels onto Irim's harness. The white dragon groaned under the layers of equipment strapped to its back. One would think the king was preparing to move out of his kingdom entirely with all his personal belongings stowed on the Hameling.

Just like yesterday, the king was early out of bed well before the sun rose. judging by the bags that hung over his Hameling as well as under the otter's eyes neither of them had the luxury of sleep last night.

"Maybe I should have the castle hands prepare a separate bag of hangers just in case," Denka muttered.

Chung sighed and approached the Hameling. "That won't be necessary," he said as he unfastened a strap. The entire payload of personal items fell onto the grass with a soft thump. He dug through the pile and extracted a single worn backpack that he personally packed himself before turning in for the night. Dressed in thick, carefully knitted, white and grey layers and a blue flowing scarf for the coming trip over the mountains, the prince looked as he were preparing for a cold winter day.

"M-my king! A single bag? But you'll be traveling for who knows how long!"

"One of the most important things I've learned during my time as an adventurer is to travel light," he toted the single bag, "Only bring what's absolutely necessary. Everything else would just weigh you down."

"Good morning, your majesty!" Zudrich called as he appeared from the temporary commons area within the waterway complex. His choice of wardrobe was significantly more humble compared to the king's and consisted of earthly colored wools and a wolf's pelt draped over his shoulder. Had he grown a beard and bore an axe, Chung could have easily mistaken him for some sort of winterborn barbarian. Slung over a shoulder was a single travel pack

"Right on time. Good morning, Zuzu."

"I packed light, as ordered, King Seiker."

"Good. I say we're just about ready to head out then?"

"Your majesty," Denka interrupted, "With all due respect, you do realize the Hamelings aren't made for the desert beyond the vast mountain range, don't you? It takes roughly an entire day's worth of flying to span the entire mountain range. Once you've reached the northern reaches of our natural border, I fear the temperature may be too warm for our reptilian friend. What will you do, then?"

"If I remember correctly, my father mentioned a traders outpost he would often stop at to hire transport through the desert from there."

"Erm… with the conditions of our country in the past few years, I highly doubt that outpost would be functioning at all, my king."

"I have to at least try. If anything, I'll just travel along the border and search for any settlements that can point me the right way."

"That's not good enough of a plan!" Denka protested.

"Relax. If I can't find a way to reliably cross the desert I'll be back by tomorrow evening. Promise."

The otter scrunched his nose at him, gauging the worth of the king's words. He reminded the king of Rena in that parenting sort of way and he wondered if this was how Elsword must have felt when the elf looked at him the same way Denka did.

The otter relented.

"Very well, your majesty. I'm just worried for you, that's all."

"I understand."

"But, before you go. There's one more thing that I wish to address. High Priestess?"

Chung and Zudrich turned their attention towards a slender figure standing off towards the waterway gates. Flanked by an entourage of acolytes-in-training bearing ceremonial torches, they approached their departing king with the same dignified sense of purpose often seen in their religious gatherings.

Once before their leader, the High Priestess gave a deep bow, prompting the others to kneel.

"Sasha," Chung whispered, "You know how I feel about all the formalities. Stand. A simple farewell is good enough."

"King Seiker," the priestess began, "On behalf of the people of Hamel and our goddess who governs the mystical powers of water, it is with great honor that I present to you a gift symbolizing their unified will."

She stepped aside, allowing the acolytes to present their offerings wrapped in regal purple cloth to their king. Nine pieces of armor were unraveled. The leg pieces of the armor consisted mostly of jet black Hamelian steel, while white layers along the sides of the chest plate, shoulders, and gauntlets complimented the sleeker, more streamlined design. Horatio's absence was noticeably absent in the armor's less regal design choices as the molded plates seemed to be much heavier than the previous armor set Chung had to grow into. Despite this, the gift was beautiful and the pristine shine to it left Chung staring slack jawed in awe.

"Is… that really for me?"

The High Priestess nodded, "When meeting the leaders of other nations, one must represent their own to the highest degree. I believe this armor is as functional as it is durable. It may have taken us months to develop but without the late Horatio guiding our smiths, the process took much longer than expected. Still, I hope it is to your liking… I thought you might have need of it since your last set was completely destroyed. I secretly asked the smiths to dedicate their time in producing one for you. Sorry for not informing you."

The king was the first to break formalities and hugged the high priestess, causing the other acolytes to erupt in a mix of shock and giggles. "You didn't have to do that, you know," Chung commented.

"I wanted to," she whispered back, "It's the least I could do to repay you for saving me from Ran."

"Congratulations, your majesty," Zudrich whispered.

"And Zudrich," the priestess continued, catching the trainee off guard, and garnering a knowing grin from the king as he pulled away from Sasha, "Kneel."

The young man did so, and King Seiker took the stage, standing in front of the trainee as he held out a piece of paper scrawled with notes bearing Sasha's neat and curvy handwriting, he read the passage out loud.

"For your exceptional performance as a squire before and during the initial demon invasion that ravaged our lands several years ago, for outstanding display of leadership during Velder's banishing, and your undying loyalty to our cause, we would ĺike to present you with this"

The acolytes parted, letting the weapons and armor smiths wheel in a brand new cannon and a matching white Hamelian Knights armor personally crafted and lined with wolf's fur along the shoulder plates. A bright blue guardian stone hung on to the armor's chestpiece and began to glow brighter as it drew closer to its intended owner.

"The first guardian stone created under such trying times in our history; the symbol of hardwork and dedication. We believe this honor belongs to no one else but you. You may rise, Fury Guardian Zudrich."

The guardian rose wobbling to his feet. "It's… I'm humbled, your majesty."

"Don't thank me. Sasha did most of the work," Chung said, motioning at the priestess.

"This gift was long overdue, Fury Guardian," the High Priestess added, "It takes quite a while to make even one of these guardian stones. May it protect you in all your future endeavors."

As the newest guardian began fitting on the new armor, Chung was busy putting his away in another bag.

"Not going to try it on, your majesty?" the advisor asked.

"I'm fairly confident it will fit," Chung shrugged, "besides, I don't even have a guardian stone of my own to put it to full use. I'll wear it when I have to when I reach Sander."

"That's a shame," Denka in mock dejection, "and here I was curious to see how it would look with this seated on the chestplate."

He held his paw out before Chung and the king's eye caught the distinct glint of gold and glowing blue El. It was his father's stone.

"Denka, I… you mean it?"

The otter shrugged as the king gingerly took the stone off his paw, "I don't see why not. You were right. Your father would want you to have it. And since you're crossing the desert it's a lot more useful to you than it is to anyone else here. And like I said, I'd rather you come back in one piece than the stone."

Chung ran his thumb gently along the golden frame. The soft hum of El coursed through the stone as he cradled the jewel.

"Use it if necessary," Denka whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek, "And come home safe, my king."

Chung gripped the stone, turning to the otter and giving him a tight farewell embrace.

"I will," Chung replied, "I promise."


	3. Fruitless Endeavors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey has just begun for Hamel's young king but focus will be taken elsewhere... through a new pair of eyes.

Described as a diamond in the middle of a vast ocean of sand, the desert metropolis wasn't far from the metaphorical image. Its shimmering radiance could be seen well before the weary travelers even arrived, and as they drew closer, it became apparent just how it shined so vividly in the hot afternoon sun.

Surrounded by a massive water reservoir that both functioned as its life source and defense against outside invaders, the shoulder-deep man-made moat may as well have been the city's private ocean nestled in the basin of a giant dune valley.

A multitude of spires rivaling the height of old ruined skyscrapers in Resiam dotted the metropolis; many of which functioned as a dock for the numerous airships, traveling to and from the city. Mounted on top of each spire were large rotating water collection nets, which were one of the city's famous attractions. Far below the towering buildings was a maze of densely packed streets of limestone homes and commercial districts. Hundreds of thousands of people could be seen pushing their way through the traffic while shopkeepers shouted for each passerby to come see their wares.

A white drone hovered over its mistress, who stood by the railing of a small transport airship. "Remy_003 reporting in. Area designated as 'sector one' has been scanned, mistress. I've went ahead and filtered the possible results down to thirteen points of interest." To say it spoke would be somewhat inaccurate, as any normal human listening in would only hear a series of chirps and whistles of no discernable pattern or meaning. Yet for the person to whom it spoke, the message came as a direct, feminine voice.

Golden eyes scanned over the bustling streets below as the silver-haired Nasod constructed a detailed mental map of her upcoming base of operations. Notes were taken and pins were placed for all the pubs, parks, and other such areas of high civilian traffic; any place where she could glean info to help in her search.

Yet as she worked with the flood of new incoming data, she became faintly aware of something else creeping into the back of her mind. It was a strange sensation of static that existed only as a weak, almost indiscernible, flicker in the furthest reaches of her core's communications systems. After half a day's worth of flying over the desert, however, the sensation intensified into something else. It was a signal and it was decrypted.

No response from her mistress. The white drone tilted slightly. "Mistress Eve?"

The Queen of Nasods blinked at the call of her name, shifting her focus on her loyal drone. Her response was slow and was grounds for immediate concern from her servant, who then flooded the neural link between the two with a flurry of inquiries. Eve dismissed it all with a shake of her head, quietly reassuring the drone that there was nothing to worry about and reached out to pat her.

"Is it the voice again?" Remy asked. The queen's hand froze at the question for a moment; long enough to draw even more concern from the white drone.

"It is, isn't it? Has it gotten worse? Do you feel weaker? Has the corrupted code affected more of your programming?"

"Mistress Eve!" a voice filled with youthful vigor and over excitement rang in the Nasod's head. A black drone flew in from the aft end of the airship, chittering up a storm in a language only its mistress could understand.

"This city is amazing! It may not be as densely packed as Velder but there's so many people from all around the world here! Not to mention all the neat things in all the market districts!"

"Moby," the white drone whirred, "Your sector?"

"Yes! They're all in my sector! Oh! We should check out the 'Cheese Wheel'. That place sounded interesting! And the 'Rock Salt Restaurant' sounds exotic. And I saw a bunch of people flocking to a place called the 'Tail Feather'. We should check that place out, too!"

"Moby!" the white drone whistled.

"Yes, Remy?" the black drone ceased its ecstatic twirling to give the white drone its undivided attention.

The white drone visibly trembled in what could only be discerned as anger and annoyance. It was only when their mistress placed a hand on the white drone's head that Remy settled down. Eve shook her head quietly at Remy before gesturing calmly towards the white drone's partner.

"Report for your sector," Remy said flatly. Eve tapped the drone twice on the head; she flinched from the slight contact before relenting, "Please."

"Oh… Oh!" Moby perked, "I forgot."

The gyroscopic engines within the white drone whirred violently and, had it not been for their mistress wrapping her arms around her, she would have pushed the black drone overboard. Instead, Remy was quietly tucked under Eve's arm before she turned to face Moby. She placed a hand over her chest. A single word appeared in their communication log.

"Hurry."

"Y-yes, Mistress Eve!" Moby replied, "I won't let you down!" The black drone zipped away, zigzagging through the dozens of other passengers standing on the airship's main deck, as he made for the aft end of the ship, once more.

"Such a nuisance," Remy whirred, "There are other, more effective personality algorithms, mistress."

"I know," was Eve's reply on the private message log between the two.

"With all due respect, we can't afford to waste time like this."

Eve turned to the metropolis before her as the ship approached one of the large spires. She shut her eyes, letting out a soft, trembling sigh as a red display winked into existence in front of her.

59%

It was almost due to move up another tick. She understood the constraint she was in, but it was something she was afraid to monitor. She didn't want to be reminded of how little time she had left and would've preferred it if Remy didn't constantly pressure her. Still, it was a necessary reminder to keep her focused on the upcoming task. The red number was shoved out of her view and she leaned forward, gripping the railing as impatience and anxiety took hold of her.

"I know."

With the functionality of her systems slowly declining, the Nasod figured it would only be a matter of time before the efficiency of her scanners would fall to the same fate as her ability to heal or lead other Nasods.

To make matters worse, finding a place was only part of the challenge. What she was really worried about was the method of com-

"So, this is Sander," a young man interrupted her train of thought as he hung over the railing of the tiny transport airship, "I always thought it to be a lot smaller, being in a desert and all. Have you been here before, Eve?" He ran an arm along his jaw, wiping the beads of sweat that quite literally poured from his head.

He and the rest of the other passengers aboard the transport had to suffer through the blistering heat the entire day. The hot desert wind and layers of Velderian Knight's armor didn't help much. Eve wasn't spared from the heat either, as the black one piece and high boots she wore were perfect for absorbing the intense sunlight.

A bright blue text screen popped up over the Nasod's head as white letters began to flood it, substituting her missing voice:

_No. I've only ever been within the confines of Altera's Core. Everything beyond Lunastre is-_

"That's odd coming from a member of the El Search Party," a tall, blonde woman joined in as she occupied the open spot next to the redhead by the railings, "I always imagined you folks to have traveled all over Elrios, Lord Knight Seighart."

"Elsword's fine, Rose. I'm not into that whole… ranking officer crap," the knight waved, dismissively, "So I take it you've been here before?" No longer donning the Velderian Markswoman's uniform that she initially appeared in, the woman was dressed in a less elaborate, loose fitting white long sleeve top and a pair of ivory cargo pants in anticipation of the significantly warmer climate they were flying into. Her long blonde locks were tied in a loose braid that fell to the small of her back and she looked much more comfortable than the party members she had been assigned with.

Eve didn't say anything after she was interrupted. Not like she could, anyways. Her half-written message that hung over her head remained unfinished for a moment longer before she deleted the text box entirely, opting not to bother tapping Elsword's shoulder for attention just so he could read what she wrote.

"I lived here for a few years, yeah," Rose smiled as she scratched the tip of her nose, "When Velder was lost I fled across the ocean and found myself here after aimlessly traveling from village to village in the desert."

Elsword cocked an eyebrow, "When Velder was lost? Whatcha mean?"

The blonde clammed up quickly upon realizing the minor slip of the tongue. Of the two listening in on her conversation, Eve was the only one faintly aware of Rose's history. She never spoke about it nor did Eve ever bother to ask. Not that it was a problem for Rose, anyways as the blonde tended to avoid speaking to the Nasod in general. To the rest of the group she was an orphan who had to fend for herself while taking care of her sister, Pet.

A large cargo ship leaving the city rumbled past them, causing the entire airship to sway under the gust of wind and forcing the occupants to hang on to the railing for dear life.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, asshole!" the redhead shouted while their small transport ship stabilized, "You'd think that guy wouldn't even care if he knew we were escorting someone important."

"Honestly, he probably wouldn't," Rose stated, "This is Sander, after all. In this city, everything, even human lives, has a price tag on it. He was probably more worried about his shipment reaching the shores on time than anything else."

"Still, though," Elsword grumbled, then quickly remembering that they were indeed tasked with escorting someone important, "Ah crap, I gotta check on her."

"The emissary's probably still hanging off the aft end of the ship spewing her guts out, especially after that near miss," Rose chuckled.

Elsword groaned, pushing off from the railing to go look for their client, all the while grumbling to himself. "She signs up for a job that requires her to travel and yet anything from birdback to boats causes her to hurl. Clearly she's fit for the task. Just hire Elrios's greatest heroes and put them on bucket duty for the entire trip. No problem..."

Though Eve would never outwardly admit it, she was relieved to see the knight mostly back to his old self. Mostly. It was certainly much different compared to when they initially left Hamel. The young man refused to speak with anyone. Even his sister respected his wish to remain alone. It hurt watching him mourn over Aisha's death and, for a while, the Nasod felt he wouldn't be the headstrong human she was once attracted to. However, seeing him again after nearly a year had passed proved her wrong. The events in Hamel had scarred him both mentally and physically to the point where even Eve was able to pick up when he was trying too hard to mirror his former adolescence. He was still the brash, reckless idiot she remembered him to be, but there was also this tempered cynicism in the way he acted, now. No longer did he use any and all opportunities to poke fun at others or himself. Instead, even though he had openly stated that he was over the loss of Aisha, Eve had caught him numerous times staring off at nothing in particular. Raven called this the "Thousand-mile stare". Even the Nasod was able to garner the significance of such a trance and she was quick to understand why no one would bother him about it.

"Eve?" Rose broke the silence between them and the silver-haired android tilted her head curiously at the blonde.

"Sorry if I, uh, interrupted you. Earlier. Didn't know you were, um, talking. To him. That's all," she spoke without looking at the Nasod. She fidgeted as if she wasn't even sure if the words she was saying made any sense to their listener.

Eve shrugged as a text box appeared above her head.

_Apology accepted._

The reply caused Rose to purse her lips and she snorted before shaking her head.

A large question mark appeared on the text display, to which Rose waved the question off, "Don't worry about it. We're about to dock, anyways, so we should get ready."

Before she could leave, however, Eve raised a hand signaling for her to wait.

_You mentioned you've resided here for several years. I have a few questions regarding various points of interest that I'd-_

Rose nodded, half-reading the text message before cutting her off, "Yeah, sorry. This is going to have to wait. Right now we have to go. The dock runs on a tight shift and they've been known to force people off the boarding platforms without all their belongings if they took too long to unload."

"Elsword!" his older sister could be heard in the ship's lower deck, "Hurry up! We're about to dock! I got your pack on me! How's she doing down there?"

"Uh… I'm going to need a mop again; where'd you put it?" Elsword's voice echoed in reply.

"Rose had it last, I think," Elesis shouted. The Blazing Heart was seen stomping out of the lower level, drenched in sweat.

"There you are," the redhead said upon spotting the markswoman, "Hey, newbie, clean up duty. Get to it."

"Who does she think she is calling me a newbie?" Rose shook her head as she turned to Eve, "I'll be right back."

And with that Eve was left with a half written message in display once more. Her hand dropped as she tapped her heel in frustration. This was going to be a long trip.

Raven emerged from the lower deck and approached Eve, he handed Eve her travel bag. "Thanks, again, for coming along with us," the Blade Master said. Yet as the Nasod took the bag, she found herself wrestling against the much stronger grip of the veteran who refused to let go. He continued, "With how small the El Search Party has become, it's nice knowing we can still form a functional group of four."

Raven stared hard into her eyes, concern vividly evident in his gaze before he let go. Eve held her travel bag close to her chest, already well aware of what troubled his usually stoic demeanor.

A heavy clang echoed around them as the transport vessel linked with the waiting dock. The passengers onboard had flocked to the ship's opening gates and were already quickly disembarking, including Elsword, Rose, and Elesis.

Raven hung back with the Nasod as Eve stepped back, averting her eyes as she slowly shook her head.

_I just needed the means to travel here. Your business with Velder and Sander are none of my concern._

"At least stick around until we figure out our lodging situation. We're on an escort job for Velder nobility, after all. If we're lucky we might be given decent accommodations as part of her guard."

_But I'm not part of the El Search Party anymore._

"Neither is the markswoman," Raven replied, nodding towards Rose, "But whether you're part of our group or not, you're still our friend."

Eve hesitated at the suggestion and as she expected, the Blade Master took that opportunity to press on.

"I know I'm just repeating myself by saying this, and I know you're not the type to openly seek help from others, nor do we know anything about Nasod coding, but I just want to remind you that we're still here for you. And if it's anything as small as finding you a place to stay, then it's really no bother for us. At least, it isn't for me."

"The human presents a meaningful suggestion, mistress," Remy whistled, "Perhaps it would be best to take advantage of their offer."

_Fine. But don't expect me to assist you if the situation calls for it. Furthermore, I don't wish to keep all of you waiting for my sake. Once you've finished your business here, I'm perfectly capable of handling my problems alone._

"Got it," Raven said, a content smile crossing his lips, "We're all just worried about you, so don't feel as if you're imposing on us."

The message disappeared as the Nasod hugged herself tightly.

_And… thank you. I'll try not to be a burden._

The mercenary shrugged lightly, "Don't worry about it. It's not like we have much to do here, after all. We're just here as extra insurance. We'll be out of your hair in a week, tops."

* * *

Eve stared up at an enormous portrait hung up on a wall that towered at least two stories over her. Framed in what appeared to be pure gold was an oil painting of a rather rotund individual who stared back at the viewer with sharp, appraising eyes. Two ends of a long mustache peeked out from under his round nose, accenting the full cheeks and large chin. His smile bore the look of a salesman and his successes were worn in the form of regal off-white and bronze robes. Resting on his circular head sparkled a white and silver sultan's headdress.

 _His Greatness, Sultan Hanna Dafarr_  was inscribed in a golden placard at the bottom of the large painting.

"He's fat," Moby commented.

"His weight has nothing to do with his ability to rule," Remy stated, "Had our mistress been designed to be unreasonably heavy, I'm certain her ability to lead our people would remain largely the same, right mistress?"

Eve tilted her head as she quietly tugged on her dress at her hips before shaking her head in disgust.

"I'd rather be the way I am," her reply read in the group's message log. She turned around and took a seat on the stone bench in front of the picture as she waited for the others to finish speaking to the registrar. " _Searching for someone, please enquire for details_ " were written in big white letters in a large blue display that hung over the Nasod's head.

Despite her rather peculiar yet straightforward request, not a single visitor of the hundreds that came in and out of the palace approached her to assist.

She was beginning to think taking up Raven's offer was a waste of time. Most of the early afternoon had been spent making their way through the busy daytime streets to bring the emissary to Sander officials. Thankfully the one named Rose knew the city well enough to guide the rest of the group to the city's palace. Eve quickly learned, however, that finding their way to the palace was only half the problem.

"What do you mean he's 'booked' for the entire month?!" Elesis slammed her palms against the satin-covered wooden desk, the already warm room growing noticeably hotter as her frustration manifested into an aura of flames around the Blazing Heart. "We've spent almost a week sailing over an ocean, over half a day traveling by air, and two hours waiting in line and now you're to tell me we have to sit around doing nothing for an entire  _month_?"

Her voice echoed loudly in Sander Castle's grand registration hall. Lining either side of the expansive hallway were registration desks, manned by over twenty registrars tending to the masses of people who had business with the city's superiors.

Sitting on the other side of the kiosk and the target of the woman's fury was one of Sander Castle's registrar on shift: a balding, lanky, middle-aged man, with narrow shoulders, a long neck and a particularly broad nose. He was dressed in goldish-tan silks and seemed rather unfazed by the Elesis's indignation.

"I'm sorry, madam, but unless your visit is of some importance, I'm afraid you must wait like everyone else. His Greatness is quite the busy man and he has no time to speak to just anyone."

"Do you have  _any_  idea who we are?!" Elesis continued.

"Loud and obnoxious?" was the registrar's reply. If Elsword had not been there to hold his sister back, the woman would have most definitely cooked him where he sat.

The younger brother struggled to keep his sister in line while simultaneously motioning to the person they have been tasked to escort.

"Ms. Cleri?" he called in between grunts as he wrestled with Elesis, "Can you explain to this… kind gentleman why we're here?"

Elsword pulled his sister aside as the registrar's attention fell on a rather timid looking young woman. Standing at average height and dressed in the best Velder's artisan tailors could muster - which consisted of a rather long satin noblewoman's cloth draped loosely over her otherwise thin frame and topped with a thick velvet coat lined with golden thread - she looked every bit as sure of herself as a child being asked to plan a wedding.

In one hand she held a clipboard which she used to fan off the beads of sweat that dripped from her face and fogged her thick reading glasses. Her braided brown hair was a mess from the rather windy flight over the desert early and several messy strands stuck unattractively to her thin rosy cheeks. Held in her other hand and pressed close to her chest was an ornate golden box magically sealed shut with hundreds of tiny black runes. As professional as she was made to appear upon arrival in the Sander capital, she looked both frightened and on the verge of collapsing from heat stroke.

"And you are?" the registrar asked, clearly unimpressed by the sight before him.

"C-Cleri, sir. Claire, I mean. Claire Kindlesprite."

"Very well, Ms. Kindlesprite―"

"Cleri is fine."

"Whatever. I take it these are your servants?"

"T-they're my personal guard. Not my servants."

"Hired dogs, then. I'm not going to argue semantics all day: do you wish to schedule a meeting with His Greatness, or must I call on  _our_  guards to see you out?" the registrar calmly reached for a bell at the corner of his desk. The castle's soldiers were already clutching their blades at the mere motion.

"That won't be necessary!" Cleri squeaked, "A month's time will do!"

"Hey, wait a minute! No!" Elesis protested, still under her brother's grasp, "His  _Greatness_  either sees us now or he sees the bottom of my boot! I'm not wasting a month of my life waiting for a stupid meeting!"

"Elesis! Shut up!" Rose whispered.

The registrar sighed and rang the bell. Immediately the castle guards surrounded the six visitors with scimitars and spears at the ready.

"Elesis?" Raven grumbled, standing back to back with the other five members of the group. He saw the two redheads reaching for their weapons, to which he raised his hand to stop them, "I believe you owe the gentleman an apology."

"Kindly see Ms. Kindlesprite and her  _dogs_  out of the palace. Oh and do try to keep them from bleeding on the tile. My bell ringing hand is too tired to call for a cleaner," the registrar said with a shooing motion before turning to the next visitor in line, "Next!"

"But―" Cleri protested only to have a spear brandished inches from her nose.

The group was escorted out of the palace with Elsword and Elesis being thrown out onto the pavement. They found themselves at the top of a stone set of stairs that flanked either side of a large fountain depicting a woman pouring an ever flowing urn of water over her thinly clothed body. The escorting guards stood watch at the doorway, preventing any future access for the El Search Party and leaving them no choice but to make their way down the stairs in defeat. By then, the sun had nearly completely set. The amber glow of electric lamps filled the calmer streets.

"Great!" Elesis exclaimed, "This is just great. We travel halfway around the world as Elrios's most expensive cleaning service for an emissary who can't stand her ground―"

"Elesis… enough," his brother began.

"And then we get told to buzz off 'cus 'His Greatness' is too busy shoving coins up his ass to see us!"

By then Eve had lost interest in the conversation between the humans. She pulled away from the group, bright blue sign still hanging over her head as she idly let her legs carry her across the length of the courtyard towards the palace's main exit. The streets were far less busy with businesses closing for the day. Her chances of gaining any info had substantially fallen at this point and she deleted the display with a flick of her wrist.

The static had returned - rather, it had never left. With calmer streets and more time to sort her thoughts, Eve's focus had returned to the same encrypted static feed that her sensors had been picking up since that morning. At this point, Eve didn't know what to make of it. It would take some time to decrypt the transmission and she wasn't sure if it would be worth her time dedicating her limited resources to work on it.

Through all of the static, though, she could still hear Elesis firing off complaint after complaint at the other four.

"Elesis! I said that's enough!" her brother ordered.

"Yeah? I heard you. So what then? My point is: we were sent here to this hot, miserable desert and now we're expected to just turn around and go home? Let me remind you we don't get paid for a job half done. If we go home with Cleri not doing her job it means everything we've spent on expenses comes straight out of our pocket. And we're not exactly swimming in ED, here. Not since Mr. Leader-of-the-Black-Crows decided to blow nearly all of our cash buying out the loyalty of a bunch of crooks!"

Eve watched as the Blazing Heart pointed an accusatory finger at Raven. The Nasod had seen him caught in these situations enough to expect the mercenary to return fire with a well-phrased remark that would shut Elesis down. Surprisingly he said nothing. Not even an attempt to silence Elesis was made when he almost always would have done so. Instead the mercenary let the redhead go on her verbal tirade until she simply ran out of steam.

"You done?" Raven asked as silence finally befell them, the sound of Elesis quietly huffing and puffing sustained the tension in the air.

Elesis sighed. "Yeah," she nodded as she flopped at the fountains edge, "Yeah. I'm just... It's just been a long, rough, day."

"It has been for all of us," Raven agreed.

"I'm sorry," Elesis continued, "I know what you all are thinking. I stepped out of line. I shouldn't have…"

Elesis pounded her knuckles into the hard limestone.

"Cleri?" her voice was direct and sudden, enough to cause the young emissary to jump, "What I said about you earlier, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

"Oh!" the brown-haired woman waved it off sheepishly, "No. Everything you've mentioned regarding me is well justified. I never really traveled further than Velder's outer walls in my life. Me being here is the result of a well connected family and a silly dream of one day experiencing the world in person rather than through books. I just… never imagined traveling would be so taxing on my body."

"Still. What I did was stupid. What I said to you was just plain mean. And for that, I'm sorry," Elesis muttered, letting her head drop apologetically.

"We just need a break," Raven nodded, "We'll start fresh tomorrow morning. Find a place to stay in the meantime. Preferably some place affordable."

"I know a few cheap rooms we can rent," Rose chimed in. "Depending on how sure you are of keeping an eye on your valuables, I can show you some decent inn locations."

"How about somewhere sensible and not at the expense of peace of mind? I'd rather not have to worry about thieves tonight," Elsword groaned.

"I have just the place," the blonde replied.

Their client called for their attention as she tentatively dug through her travel bag for her money pouch. "Um… and if it helps, I can foot the bill for tonight. I understand you all are short on money so this is the least I could do to pay you back."

Hearing this caused Elesis to glance over at Raven excitedly who, after taking a moment to consider the offer, accepted it. "We don't usually take advantage of generous offers like this," he stated, "But we'll repay you. I promise you that."

"No, don't worry about it, really. It's my pleasure!" Cleri reassured him.

"In that case I'll have a few drinks courtesy of Ms. Kindlesprite!" the Blazing Heart exclaimed, throwing a welcoming arm over the emissary's shoulder. She waved at the Nasod who had been standing near the entrance of the courtyard, staring quietly past the gate, since the group had been forced out of the palace. "You hear that Eve? Drinks are on Cleri, tonight! You should join us!"

* * *

The moon was full tonight. With the city lights, it was impossible to pick out any of the constellations. This was strange to Eve: seeing a human city so active at the late hours of the night was unusual even for Velder's capital. Even though most of the businesses had closed, many of Sander's residence flocked to the late night bars and taverns. This was quickly apparent when the inn Rose took them to was flooded with bar patrons. Initially, Eve took this as a prime opportunity to continue her search. However, despite sitting in the middle of the tavern with a large sign over her head, no one seemed to want to speak to her. She garnered the occasional sideways glance of curiosity every now and again but after a quick appraisal of whoever was looking, they would quickly ignore her.

She didn't want to speak with any of them, anyways. The scents of alcohol and tobacco that assaulted her senses were too much to handle and the patrons' overall rowdy demeanor was simply abhorrent. If Eve were to make a list of things she despised most about the human species, their overindulgence would definitely be among the top in the list. It was enough reason for Eve to abandon her search for the night and resign herself to one of the two-person rooms Rose rented for them.

The door squeaked open and the loud jubilations of drunks singing their cares away flooded the room before the soft click of the door brought the volume back to a soft muffle. Eve turned to find the emissary doing her best to remain as unnoticeable as possible as she tentatively set her belongings aside for the night.

There wasn't much to the room save for two mattress boards and a single nightstand with an unused oil lantern resting on top. With no means to light the lantern, Remy sat on the nightstand, pointing her headlights upward and filling the room with its bright fluorescent glow. As Rose mentioned, the rooms were cheap. They were safe, given the fact that each room had a lock, but the wooden boards weren't going to be enjoyable to sleep on.

"I guess you and I will be roommates, huh?" her voice squeaked quietly from the other end of the room.

Eve didn't answer and instead returned her attention to the window overlooking the stone rooftops of an amber-lit district. Cleri didn't seem to mind being ignored. In fact, she seemed quite content with Eve's lack of words. The Nasod heard the roommate shuffling through her bag. There was a distinct pause in movement followed by a clearing of her throat to grab Eve's attention.

The Nasod turned her head to her once more only to find Cleri pointing at the black drone hovering at Eve's side. Moby was looking at Cleri who seemed hesitant to change in front of her companion. The Nasod Queen placed a hand on the drone's head, gently rotating it around to face out the window with her.

"Thank you," Cleri muttered passively as she began to undo her layers of regal clothing.

The shuffling continued for a few minutes more before a soft "Okay!" was uttered. No one but Moby turned around, garnering a light chuckle from Eve's roommate.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Cleri asked, prompting Eve to look over her shoulder at her.

The Nasod pointed at her throat, making a cutting motion with her hand afterwards to depict her inability to speak. Cleri tilted her head at Eve and the Nasod sighed, turning fully to the emissary.

She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and opening her mouth as a garbled, almost indecipherable voice came through like a broken audio speaker.

"I. Can't. Speak."

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't know," Cleri replied, putting a hand over her mouth.

A blue display box appeared hovering next to Eve's head and a single word appeared in white text.

_Apparently._

"Forgive me. I tend to keep to myself around new people. I just always saw you as the quiet type. I didn't know you literally couldn't talk."

Eve tilted her head to the side, her golden eyes pulling away from the annoyance sitting on the bed in front of her.

_I prefer to omit communication because of it._

"I see," Cleri nodded. It seemed as if the conversation was to be left as that, but Eve could still feel the woman's gaze on her.

_What do you want?_

"Sorry. It's just… you're really a Nasod, aren't you?"

_Isn't that obvious?_

"Sorry! I never ever saw one in my life. I just read about them in books. I always thought Nasods looked more… mechanical. But you look just like a real person!"

Eve's brow furrowed at that.

 _I_ am  _a real person._

"Oh. Oops, sorry. I didn't―"

_Stop saying sorry._

"Ah! You're right, sorr― I mean, okay," Cleri stopped to catch up with her thoughts. She exhaled, calming herself down before speaking, "I just think it's amazing that's all. Looking at you, that is. At first glance you could easily be mistaken as human. But your ears, the blue gem hidden under your bangs, the companions following you… you're most certainly something more."

_Your point being...?_

Cleri shrugged, "I don't know. I figured maybe that's why people are hesitant to approach you."

Eve's eyes narrowed.

_What do you mean?_

"Y-your sign. It said you're searching for someone. I don't know who it is you're searching for but your way of approaching the situation is a bit… peculiar."

_I can't speak. The sign is necessary._

"I'm not saying it isn't. But you'd think at least one person would've approached you by now asking what all this was about, right?"

The Nasod rubbed her chin in thought.

_I suppose you're correct. It's odd that not a single human has at least enquired about my situation._

"There are other ways to gather information," Cleri nodded.

_Should I use force, then?_

"Goodness, no!" the emissary exclaimed, hand over her chest in shock, "I mean I can help you. Maybe people are intimidated that you're a Nasod. Maybe I would be able to assist you in getting others to speak."

_I'd rather let you finish your business and be on your way._

"In my spare time, I mean. I don't know if you've heard but the earliest I can meet His Greatness is a month from now, assuming they even let me see him. That's a lot of free time. If we don't go home empty handed right away, I can perhaps assist you with your troubles."

_Why do you insist on helping me?_

Cleri groaned, dropping her head in self-depreciation, "I've been a burden to all of you for the entire trip. And now, with the possibility of us coming home with nothing to show for it, I feel absolutely terrible knowing the esteemed El Search Party had to babysit me on a botched trip to Sander. The least I could do is foot the bill for tonight and help you all as much as I can. And that's why I want to do what I can for you, too."

Eve crossed her arms, sighing as she tapped her heel in annoyance.

_Let me get one thing straight between you and I: I am not part of the El Search Party._

Cleri blinked, "You're not? But according to the contract, it stated―"

_I quit the El Search Party nearly one year ago. I'm only here because you were aboard the only ship heading to Sander at the time. Us traveling together and lodging together are merely because I took Raven's generosity to fund for my stay while the El Search Party handles their business here. Given my circumstances, I took up his offer under the impression you would only be here for a week. The situation has changed, however, and from the looks of things, you are either leaving soon or waiting an entire month to complete your objective. I am not going to take advantage of Raven's offer if that's the case. I do not like being a burden to others and I prefer working alone if I could manage it._

Eve turned her attention back to the window as the message faded away to make room for another string of text.

_That being said, I am under no obligation to care for you. I don't want your assistance nor should you expect any in return. After tonight, I'd prefer it if we go our separate ways. I'll worry about my problems and you'll worry about yours. Understood?_

The text hung in the air as Cleri quietly read her explanation, disappearing only when the emissary muttered a dispirited "okay" under her breath. She heard Cleri shuffle around on the wooden board and it sounded like she was turning in for the night. Eve waited a moment after the shuffling ceased, her focus returning to idly decrypting the static that persisted in the back of her mind before glancing over her shoulder at the emissary.

Cleri was staring at Remy, hand tentatively extended towards the white drone as she searched for some kind of switch.

_Do you want the light off?_

"I-if it doesn't bother you, yes, please."

A holographic display of a dial appeared in front of her and she turned it counter-clockwise. Remy's headlights simultaneously dimmed to a faint glow, bathing the entire room in shadow.

"Good night, Ms. Eve."

There was a long pause as Eve's display window remained empty, though it quickly became apparent that Cleri was waiting for a response. The Nasod relented.

_Good night._

Nothing else was said afterwards, though Eve could have sworn she heard the emissary mutter something the Nasod couldn't quite catch before exhaustion got the better of her and she fell asleep.

"She thinks you're 'cool'," Remy whirred in simulated amusement.


End file.
